Wild Hedgehog Road Mortality and Safe Passage

Road mortality is a significant and growing threat to hedgehog populations. Infrastructure changes and driver behaviour can meaningfully reduce individual hedgehog deaths and support population recovery.

Key Facts

Roads kill an estimated 167,000-335,000 hedgehogs annually in the UK alone
Hedgehogs curl into a ball as a defence against predators, which is ineffective against vehicles
Male hedgehogs roam up to 2 km per night in search of mates, crossing multiple roads
Wildlife crossing structures including culverts under roads dramatically reduce hedgehog road mortality
Reflectors on roadside posts alert hedgehogs to approaching vehicle headlights in some trial programmes
Road verge management including grass cutting timing affects hedgehog use of road edges

Welfare Considerations

Road mortality causes direct welfare harm to individual hedgehogs through impact injury and death. The scale of UK road hedgehog mortality is substantial relative to total population size and represents a major driver of population decline. While systemic infrastructure change is needed, individual drivers can reduce speed on rural roads at night, particularly during the breeding season when hedgehogs are most active. Supporting wildlife crossing infrastructure in planning processes and hedgehog-friendly garden design are complementary welfare actions.

What You Can Do

Reduce driving speed on rural roads at night, especially during spring and summer breeding seasons
Support wildlife crossing infrastructure inclusion in road development planning consultations
Install hedgehog holes in garden fences to reduce road crossing frequency by providing larger connected habitats
Donate to hedgehog conservation organisations monitoring populations and advocating for infrastructure change
Report road casualties to mapping projects that identify high-risk hedgehog crossing points